PSC Men's Basketball Season Review 1997-98

Mar 17, 1998

PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Winter and college basketball
seasons keep coming and going, and head coach Paul
Hogan just keeps putting out good basketball teams at
Plymouth State College.

The 1997-98 squad was another in a long line of strong PSC men's
basketball teams. Plymouth State shared the regular season
championship of the Little East Conference, one of the toughest
leagues in the nation. PSC was regularly ranked in the NCAA
Division III Northeast poll, and the Panthers advanced to the
post-season for the third straight year, participating in the ECAC
Division III New England Tournament and completing the season at
19-8 overall.

"We're proud of what we accomplished this year," said Hogan, who
has led PSC to a 136-80 record in his eight years. "You always want
to win at least one more. We were so close to winning the Little
East outright, we were pretty close to being in consideration for
an NCAA berth, and we were close to advancing in the ECAC
Tournament. You always want to win another one for your seniors,
but we did have a nice season."

After finishing the regular season at 18-6 and upending Southern
Maine in the first round of the Little East Tournament, PSC was two
wins away from a second NCAA berth in three years. The next two
games, however, turned not into a dream but a Panther heartbreak.
Plymouth State was outrun and outgunned by Keene State in the LEC
semi-finals, and was eliminated from the ECAC tourney in the
first-round at Colby-Sawyer.

"I think maybe we were a little tired," said Hogan. "We won some
difficult road games this year, and played a tough schedule, and we
were a bit worn down. Maybe things would've been different if the
games were at home, but we gave it everything we had, and I'm proud
of them for that."

While Hogan used a basic nine-man rotation much of the season,
and five different players received individual honors this season,
the Panthers were led by junior point guard Adam
DeChristopher (Brockton, MA) and senior forward
Ace Elefteriadis (Belmont, MA).

DeChristopher, the Little East Conference Player of the Year and
a First Team All-New England pick by the ECAC, was the key to the
offense, averaging 19.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He
led PSC in scoring 17 times, and was solid from the field (44.5
percent), three-point range (70-of-187, .374) and the free throw
line (81.0 percent).

Elefteriadis, who averaged 15.8 points per game, was a scoring
threat from all over the floor. He could battle down low, where he
hauled in 6.1 rebounds, or form outside, where he hit 60-of-168
three-pointers (35.7 perent).

"Adam has shown he is one of the top players in the league, and
he is being recognized for it," said Hogan. "He is the heart of our
offense, and he has so many ways he can hurt you.....penetrating,
shooting, at the line, defensively. He's had a terrific three
years, and I'm looking forward to his senior year."

"Ace has been a tremendous leader for this team," said Hogan.
"He leads not only on the floor but in the locker room. He's just
what you want in a captain. He knows when to push guys and when to
come to me. Guys like Ace and Seth are the reasons why we coach
college basketball."

Senior Seth Peloso (Rye, NH) shared co-captain
dutied with Elefteriadis. After a strong junior season, Peloso was
hit with injuries this year and was limited to 22 games. The team's
best defender and an outside shooting threat, Peloso was MVP of the
PSC Tip-Off Tournament.

"Seth's value to the team wasn't the same as if he'd been
healthy," said Hogan, "But he was a big contributor to this team.
We wouldn't have gone as far as we did without him."

Senior Doug Stokes (Wyckoff, NJ), a transfer
from the College of New Jersey, was a big addition to the Panther
frontcourt. He brought with him 10.5 points and 7.1 rebounds and a
solid inside presence, and was the LEC Player of the Week with a
monster week in February. He shot 61.7 percent from the floor and
72.5 percent from the line.

Junior Eric McQueen (Lawrence, MA) and
sophomore Jamodi Robinson (Framingham, MA) were
big contributors to the team. McQueen, perhaps the team's best
athlete, was an honorable mention on the All-LEC Team after
averaging 11.1 points and 2.6 rebounds a game. He is a real
crowd-pleaser with his dunking ability, and could really blossom as
a senior. Robinson transferred to PSC from Albany State, and
chipped in with solid defense and 5.7 points per game.

Coming off the bench for PSC was junior Jamal
Pettiford-Jones (Portsmouth, NH) and freshman Tony
Martinez (Pittsfield, NH) in the frontcourt, and junior
Todd Steffanides (Fitchburg, MA) in the backcourt.
Pettiford-Jones continued his improvement, adding four points and
four rebounds a game, while Martinez gained valuable experience at
power forward, playing in all 27 games and averaging 4.5 points.
Steffanides saw his minutes increase as his performance improved,
and he's up to nearly four points in 14 minutes per outing.